The real meaning of “Yellow Ledbetter”

It’s no secret that I enjoy Pearl Jam’s music, and for me there has always been something about “Yellow Ledbetter” that makes it the perfect PJ song. The Hendrixian ballad that always closes PJ’s shows (except for their last show at the Gorge last year) is such an easy song to get lost in. Between its soaring guitar solos and Eddie’s indecipherable lyrics, it’s Pearl Jam at their finest. I seriously think it’s the last song I want to be played at my funeral service. The first would be the Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize.”

Yes, I have thought about the soundtrack to my own memorial service, and no I am not a morbid person.

Anyway, speaking of Eddie’s lyrics, what exactly is he saying in “Yellow Ledbetter?” Well, I found the below YouTube clip on the Stranger’s Line Out blog and it may hold some answers. It was too good not to share.